DC Comics has announced the launch of three new Elseworlds titles this summer, with Supergirl: Survive, Superman: Father of Tomorrow, and Dark Knights of Steel II.
In Supergirl: Survive, teenage Kara Zor-El and infant Kal-El are launched into a hostile universe as Krypton burns around them. Superman: Father of Tomorrow, meanwhile, imagines a world where Jor-El, not his newborn son, crash-lands in Kansas and becomes Earth's greatest protector.
Finally, in Dark Knights of Steel II, the fan-favourite fantasy epic returns to forge a new legend.
Supergirl: Survive is written by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan with art and covers by Rod Reis, and launches on June 3. Billed as "a harrowing Elseworlds tale of two refugees bound by blood, trauma, and hope," here's the official description for the series:
Kara Zor-El lives a life of small problems—school dances, family squabbles, and the impossible task of holding her floppy baby cousin Kal—but Krypton has big ones. As General Zod tightens his grip and the planet begins to burn, Kara and Kal are launched into the stars together, trapped in a prototype rocket and fighting to survive a universe that doesn’t care if they live or die.
Writer Kenny Porter teams with artist Danny Earls for Superman: Father of Tomorrow. This one launches on May 27 and is described as follows:
When the planet Krypton explodes, a lone rocket escapes the destruction—not carrying Kal-El, but his father. Jor-El crash-lands in Kansas, where a kindly couple takes him in. As he adjusts to life on Earth, Jor-El discovers he can help his new home not only with his powers, but with his brilliant mind. This is the story of a Man of Steel and Science—and the world he saves.
Finally, with writer Tom Taylor and artist Otto Schmidt (who are joined by cover artist Yasmine Putri), Dark Knights of Steel II arrives in comic book stores on July 15. For now, details are being kept under wraps.
DC's Elseworlds comics have delivered many great stories, and both Supergirl: Survive and Superman: Father of Tomorrow sound like concepts that could one day be explored on screen.
Supergirl protecting a baby Kal-El as they hurtle through the galaxy should be a fun ride, and feels a little like a cross between Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and The Mandalorian. As for Superman: Father of Tomorrow, it's always interesting to see a new approach to Jor-El, a character typically defined by being Superman's father and little else.
Check out some cover art from each of these comics below.